A sheep whose fatty tail has been cut off is not fit to be offered as a sacrifice

Question

If a sheep’s fatty tail is cut off when it is small for the purpose of making its body grow more fat, is it fit to be offered as a sacrifice (udhiyah) or slaughtered for the ‘aqeeqah?.

Answer

Praise be to Allaah.

A sheep whose fatty tail has been cut off is
not fit to be offered as a hadiy, udhiyah or ‘aqeeqah, because of the report narrated by Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him)
who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to check the eyes and the ears, and not to
sacrifice any sheep that was one-eyed or whose ears had been cut and some of it left hanging, or any whose ears had been cut from the back, or any
whose ears had been torn or split.”

Narrated by Ahmad, 2/210, no. 851, and by the
four. Classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibbaan.

This applies if it has been cut, but if the
lamb was born without a tail in the first place, then it comes under the ruling of one that is created without horns and one that has a small
tail. The ruling is that these animals are good enough for sacrifice.